Skip to main content
Birthdays, Holidays, Celebrations

Summer Round-up

By July 2, 2014July 10th, 2014168 Comments

We here in the DALS house are going to be traveling a bit over the next week or so, and Iโ€™m not entirely sure how much Iโ€™ll be able to chime in while Iโ€™m away. (I reserve the right to change my mind.) So here is a little round-up to hold you over til we return. Have a great Fourth and Happy Summer!

A guide to 1600 swimminโ€™ holes (dropping the โ€˜gโ€™ is required, says my husband) across the US and Canada.

I made thisย Strawberry Shortcakeย last weekend for guests and it rocked. (If you added some blueberries in there, it would be the perfect red, white, and blue Fourth dessert.)

Is this why Iโ€™ve never liked the word โ€œfoodie?โ€

With this news, Grand Central Terminal, perhaps my most favorite building on earth, just became my favorite-ist to the hundredth power.

Everything tastes better when these string lightsย light up the patio table.

Before I travel to any major city, I pretty much always check the BA Weekender Guides at Bon Appetit โ€” where to eat, stay, visit โ€” and theyโ€™ve never failed me yet.

We are not soda people in general, but if we were, our fridge would be stocked with this all summer long.

Andy has had this onย repeat all week, and as far as I can tell, he shows no signs of letting up any time soon.

Canโ€™t you see these make-aheadย Chocolate Caramel Picnic Puddingsย being the perfect way to end your Fourth celebration? (And if you have time, check out the entireย site,ย masterminded by two supremely talented food-world vets.)

Or as long as weโ€™re on the subject of make-ahead treats: Mollyโ€™s Strawberry-Yogurt Pops. (Scroll down a few posts.)

No such thing as too young when it comes to reading aloud to your kids.

Rose Sangria!

Thanks to everyone who participated in myย Dinner: The Playbookย challenge. Random House helped me put together aย mini-slideshowย of some of our favorite pics (scroll over to see who submitted each one) but you can also just find them on instagram by searching the hashtag #dinnerplaybook. Hope you all had fun. (And thanks Max W. and Maggie O. for all your hard work on this!)

Two Oldies but Goodies for the Grill: Pork with Peaches and Tonyโ€™s Steak.

No doubt youโ€™ll be throwing some dogs on the barbie this holiday weekend. To celebrate this decidedly happy occasion, and to call attention to their โ€œWhatโ€™s in Your Hot Dogโ€ campaign, Applegate has offered to give away โ€œWeinervention Kitsโ€ (hot dogs, buns, relish, grill tools, and everything else) to two lucky DALS readers.

Just leave a comment below to be eligible.ย (It wouldnโ€™t hurt if you shared what youโ€™re grilling for the Fourth โ€” hot dogs or otherwise.)ย Contest ends Saturday, July 5 at noon ET. UPDATE: THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PLAYED!

All photos up top taken at Rye Playland in Rye, NY.ย 

168 Comments

  • Avatar Reynaul says:

    Great roundup! We will be grilling hot dogs, hamburgers, and bacon wrapped scallops for the 4th!

  • Avatar Lisa says:

    The term Weinervention is gift enoughโ€ฆ

  • Avatar Amy says:

    Grillinโ€™ hot dogs and hamburgers for the 4th โ€” as long as Arthur stays away from the VA coast!

  • Avatar Holly says:

    Good stuff. Hot dogs, hamburgers and baked beans for us.

  • Avatar Amy says:

    Burgers and dogs here! Happy 4th!

  • Avatar nancy says:

    The fourth of July is my babyโ€™s (1st!) Birthday, so weโ€™re grilling burgers, but what Iโ€™m most excited about is the cake!

  • Avatar Bridgit says:

    We arenโ€™t in charge of the grill, but I plan on making some cold peanut noodles to add to the table, and probably a pie as well.

  • Avatar Maria says:

    I love every time you post a link roundup. Weโ€™re grilling chicken since thatโ€™s what we have! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Avatar Susan says:

    No grilling for us as we will be @ a water park!

    Also, link to your mini-slideshow goes to dead page.

  • Avatar CB says:

    We are grillin chicken bratwurst (it is almost a requirement โ€” we are from Wisconsin and have a strong German heritage) and hotdogs for the kids that donโ€™t care for brats. Happy 4th!

    PS: FYI: I received your error page when I tried to view your mini slide show.

  • Avatar Jaclyn says:

    Always grillinโ€™ hot dogs. They are my fave! And your link to the strawberry shortcake inspired me to maybe try a spin on that.

  • Avatar Rachel says:

    The usual โ€“ hotdogs and burgers. A friend of mine said that avacados are sensational on the grill so weโ€™ll be trying that out too!

  • Ryan says:

    I have never heard of Applegate, but I just looked them up, they sell near me, Im going to have to give them a try, looks like good stuff, thanks!

  • Avatar Annie says:

    Weโ€™re grilling chili cheese dogs! Planning to serve watermelon and 7-layer taco dip with chips along side, and fruit pizza made to look like a flag.

  • Sara says:

    Weโ€™re grilling fish and shrimp, but I would love a reason to try these Applegate hot dogs!!

  • Avatar maya says:

    we will grill hot dogs and farmers market sausages!

  • Avatar Colleen says:

    Corn! love grilled corn, with compound butters.

  • Avatar katie says:

    weโ€™re actually not grilling (gasp!) but doing a fish fry!

  • Avatar Natalie says:

    Love this round-up โ€” the rose sangria sounds awesome, and there are so many other links that I want to check out. My kids would love you if we won a Weinervention Kit, because I rarely let them eat hot dogs. Weโ€™re planning on grilling shrimp and burgers. Thanks for the opportunity!

  • Avatar Brooke says:

    Itโ€™ll be burgers for us on the 4th!

  • Avatar Jo says:

    Yay to a giant Nordic food hall and rosรฉ sangria. Enjoy your 4th of July! Weโ€™ll be doing a mix of fish tacos (horrible naming convention) and hotdogs with kraut, guacamole and sriracha mayonnaise โ€” or as itโ€™s commonly known โ€œel completoโ€.

  • Avatar Caitlin H. says:

    The first step is admitting you have a problemโ€ฆI need a weinervention!!

  • Gretchen says:

    Sadly no grilling, but lots of board games!

  • Avatar Andrea says:

    We are grilling cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and please help me, this gigantic pork shoulder I have no idea what to do with! I will be making rose sangria and fancy deviled eggs too. Happy traveling and happy fourth!

  • Avatar Abbey says:

    Wonโ€™t be grilling on my own, but will likely be attending my favorite barโ€™s cookout. Probably fancy sausages and burgers.

Leave a Reply

What is 7 + 11 ?
Please leave these two fields as-is:
IMPORTANT! To be able to proceed, you need to solve the following simple math (so we know that you are a human) :-)